“Around the world” basketball tricks, backwards hook shots, and standing dunks made the crowd go wild as the Harlem Globetrotters kicked off their 87th year with a game at the new Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, New York, on October 7. (Click here to watch Storm’s video report from the game). As part of their mission to be “ambassadors of good will,” the Globetrotters are also launching a new ABC’s of Bulling Prevention program. The players will travel to 300 schools and community centers across the country to visit kids and emphasize the importance of ending bullying with their ABC motto: action, bravery and courage. “We notice that bullying is really big, not just at school but online, too,” Harlem Globetrotters rookie guard and only female player Fatima “TNT” Maddox told TFK. “We want to bring awareness and give kids guidance, so they don’t have to go through it by themselves, or if they are bullying, maybe they will stop.”

Good Will Games

At a time when peer pressure and cyberbullying are major concerns, it is important to have positive role models in schools for kids to identify with. Globetrotters coach Jimmy Blacklock hopes his team will bridge the gap between bullies and their victims. The players will be “speaking with kids who are being bullied, and those kids who are bullies, to let them know that it’s not right and it could happen to them," said Blacklock.

The Harlem Globetrotters launched their anti-bullying program to help show kids that adults understand what they’re going through. Globetrotters fans at the Brooklyn game told TFK they support the program. “I am a kid that gets bullied,” said Asaru Wahls. “The best thing is to let your voice be heard and to make sure people know that you are being bullied.” Asaru want all kids to know that “bullyng hurts, so just stop.” With the support of the Harlem Globetrotters and dedicated fans, the ABC’s of Bulling Prevention is sure to be a slam dunk across the nation.